Mingwa likes this trope of toxic top without giving the reason why they're toxic at first then bombarding you with sad back stories so you'll justify their past behaviours, and it's fucking bullshit writing istg. As you said, the only time a sad backstory is okay in a context like this is when it's integrated into the plot and already established in the first place, so we're actively connecting why a jerk is being a jerk. Miingwa writes like a high schooler who just so happen to have a fucking great art style, shame.
honestly yeah good point, caesar is a crazy mafioso with trauma (context! narrative!) and jaekyung is just a dick for (as far as we know because we've been given zero backstory or context) no good reason, with basically no character development for 63 chapters. plus leewon can hold his own to an extent and at least tries to fight back even if it's just with words. I love Kim Dan to death but he's a pushover/way too sweet and jae obviously takes advantage of that. just an asshole for the sake of it, so tired of it
it would be lovely if she could collab with someone who is actually good at creative writing. mingwa could focus on the art and art style we all know and love, and someone else could give us characters with more than the tiniest crumb of development
real, I'd love to see her either improve her writing or just adapt another's story altogether istg
Caesar and leewon are BOTH CRAZY and we can't compare caear with the horse because the horse is toxic and bad for no reason and caesar is a MAFIA not an excuse but caesar actions are out of obsession and the horse is just ass
EXACTLY. It’s such high school shit! I’ve been saying the way he’s written is like a villain, just a one-dimensional character who relentlessly does bad things for the sake of it. The rhyme or reason behind it doesn’t matter so much as how his personality and behaviors push and pull the protagonist (which isn’t even much because who gives a fuck about giving Dan a more substantial personality). That kind of character could’ve been fun except this is supposed to end in a romance and one that isn’t as toxic as it is now—it’s just not going to be believable. Like there’s of course sometimes value in withholding information about a character from an audience for the sake of creating some mystery or anticipation for a big pay-off but with a character like Jaekyung who is someone we’re meant to eventually root for it’s IMPERATIVE we at least understand where the fuck he’s coming from if he’s going to be this much of an asshole for so long with little to no real, substantial change. Otherwise any sad backstory at this point is just going to feel like an ass-pull. Like MAN I’ve lost so much good will towards this story. I genuinely came in with somewhat high expectations, too.
YES. That’s the other thing I noted while I was reading, Leewon can not only hold his own against Caesar (making the dynamic less one-sided) but he actively starts matching that guy’s freak! Leewon is also so much more actually self-aware than Dan like—this was something I’ve had a gripe with for such a long time but I just didn’t believe it when Dan caught feelings for Jaekyung. It wasn’t just because Jaekyung had been such an asshole to him for so long, because like, fine, people sometimes lose their better judgement…it was that Dan never questioned his feelings and HOW he could fall for someone who treats him so awfully. It was that we didn’t see any real justification for Dan’s self-esteem to be so goddamn low that he’d fall for someone so demonstrably abusive. Like what the fuck is there to like about Jaekyung for him personally? The financial security?? Then show me how and why Dan came to equate someone giving him money to them loving and caring for him as a person, the fuck!!
Leewon had every reason to fall for the Caesar guy…and yet, for very sensible reason, every step of the way he questioned his own feelings for the guy. He felt frustration at himself and Caesar whenever Caesar reminded him that he is, in fact, a mafioso. When Caesar did his fuckshit he didn’t just take it laying down, he resented Caesar AND pitied him. Unlike Dan who would just find some way to blame himself for everything happening to him and literally nothing else. Wow, emotional fucking complexity! AAAAAAUGH
RIGHT it’s not even JUST obsession for Caesar like by the time he’s crashing out we’ve seen every little thing that actually led him to that moment. It’s his fear of death (the guy sleeps with a gun and doesn’t feel comfortable going without, not to mention him constantly being jumped since he was a CHILD) it’s a fear of abandonment (he reacted badly every time Leewon was gone from him for too long and he couldn’t verify his safety PLUS we saw Dmitri REPEATEDLY poking at Caesar saying everyone would leave him) it’s his fear of being betrayed (him finding out his lover is the son of his BIGGEST OP)…Roses and Champagne did EVERYTHING to make Caesar’s crash out make fucking SENSE if I hadn’t been spoiled by people on here I would’ve seen that shit coming from a mile away because of how inevitable it was. Comparing that to Jaekyung being a cocksucker from the first chapters and remaining so for so long without the barest hint as to why…
I went and started reading Roses and Champagne because so many people were saying “oh people don’t hate Caesar as much as Jaekyung even though Caesar shoots, rapes, and kidnaps Leewon.” Here I was expecting their relationship to be batshit form the fucking get-go only to find that not only had Caesar been (mostly*** before someone comes swinging with “he did xyz bad things I KNOW. CONTEXT) kind, caring, and considerate to Leewon for the first 40 chapters of the webtoon but that he was very clearly and deliberately PUSHED into crashing out the way he does when he finally DOES crash out for real (I’m on chapter 43).
These two characters fundamentally do not operate the same AT ALL not just from a personality standpoint but also narratively speaking. Caesar’s wilder actions are justified and explained by the narrative, Jaekyung’s, so far, are NOT. The issue is not JUST that Jaekyung’s a fucking asshole, it’s that after 60+ chapters of the fuckass webtoon, we don’t know WHY he is, we don’t know what any of his bullshit is rooted in. Not to mention all the other shit that’s ass about the writing of this webtoon. THAT’S why people can like and enjoy and understand a character like Caesar but not a character like Jaekyung, even though, yes! Absolutely! Caesar DOES do worse things than Jaekyung! Don’t fucking piss me off.
Anyway, thanks for the recommendation. I’ve been enjoying Roses and Champagne a whole lot so far.